“I’m happy I was able to be here to see it,” I said quietly.
“Me too.”
After the stress of the birth, the barn had finally fallen into a middle-of-the-night hush. I leaned into the peace, trying to flush out the last of the stress that had flooded my system. I arched my back, then stretched my shoulders, making my joints crack.
“Ouch.” Shannon laughed. “Sounds like you could use a massage.”
I rolled my head from side to side. “Yeah, I’ve had this pain along my right shoulder for weeks now. It’s killing me.”
“Where?” Shannon asked.
“All along here, from my spine out to my shoulder,” I said, running my hand along the tender spots.
“Well, I bet tonight didn’t help,” Shannon said, the corner of her mouth kicking up. “You were pretty contorted for a good long while.”
“Story of my life,” I answered, rolling my shoulder. “I’m learning to live with the pain.”
Shannon frowned. “That sounds terrible. Let me help. Sit on that bucket,” she said, pointing to an empty watering pail. “Just turn it over.”
“No, it’s late, you don’t have to,” I protested.
Shannon pulled out her phone. “I’d be getting up in an hour anyway. And I’m definitely too wired to try to sleep now. I’m here, you’re in pain, let’s do this.” She cracked her knuckles dramatically.
I swallowed hard. I could definitely use some TLC, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep myself together once Shannon put her hands on me. That kiss had been surprising enough. At Josh and Zoe’s engagement party, I’d been afraid to pull her too close while we’d danced together. Everything about being near her set me on fire, from the way her body felt wrapped in my arms to the hints of her perfume every time I spun her around. I didn’t deal well with feeling out of control, didn’t want it to turn me intosomeone who acted on his emotions and didn’t think through consequences, like my parents. But I had a long day ahead of me and trying to navigate it with aches and pains would make it feel that much longer. I’d survived the kiss. Surely I could keep myself in check through a quick, friendly massage.
“Okay, if you don’t mind I’d appreciate it. Thank you.”
I flipped the pail over, sat down, and let my head fall forward.
Shannon moved behind me and paused for so long that I began to wonder if she’d changed her mind. I was just about to hop up when I felt her thumbs press against my skin.
“Oh, wow…” I sighed as she worked on me. “That feels incredible. You really know what you’re doing. But not for too long, okay?”
“Shhh,” she scolded gently. “Let me work. I think I found the knot.”
Sure enough, her fingers homed in on a spot near my shoulder blade that felt as tender as a bruise. I jumped when she pushed on it.
“Give me a few seconds to focus on this,” she murmured. “Take deep breaths and let them out slowly as I push, okay?”
A mix of pleasure and pain radiated from the area as she pressed and rubbed, making me want to groan. I hadn’t been touched like that in too long, and the feeling of being cared for mixed with who was doing the caring lit a fire within me. When Shannon’s breasts grazed against my back, I felt myself go immediately hard.
I shifted and cleared my throat.
“Sorry, did that hurt?” Shannon asked as her hands stilled along the back of my neck, butterfly soft against my skin.
She waskillingme.
“Yeah, I mean no.” I squeezed my eyes shut over how absurd I sounded. “Maybe a little. But it’s a good pain.”
“Great, then it’s working,” Shannon said as she started doing some sort of deep press along the muscle.
Her strokes were long and sensual, and a few times her fingers skimmed lower beneath the neck of my T-shirt, sending goose bumps up my arms. I relaxed into the sensation, trying to ignore the throbbing below my waist. When Shannon finally stopped, I felt like I was in a trance.
“Better?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Mm-hmm,” I said with my eyes still closed. I felt like I couldn’t move, and I certainly couldn’t stand up.
Shannon patted my shoulders to signify that she was done and started to walk away. I reached out and grabbed her arm, accidentally pulling her off her feet and sending her into my lap.
